Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1909 — A MONSTROUS IMPOSITION. [ARTICLE]

A MONSTROUS IMPOSITION.

Senator Shively has contended from the beginning of the tariff discussion that under the .maximum and minimum provision the 25 per cent maximum duty which the president may impose will turn out to be merely that much added to the regular schedule rates of the Payne-Al-drich bill, thus making that bill the most monstrous imposition upon the people ever atempted. In a speech in the senate Mr. Shively said: “Under this provision the list of schedules which we are framing here is not the tariff law. What the tariff law will be depends upon what the president says after we get through. No business man can know what the tariff on a particular article will be thirty, sixty or 100 days in advance. I believe that we should make the tariff law here now so that every business man and every consumer in the United States will know r what the law is to be. The effect of this legislation is simply to transfer to the, state department the contest for favors under the tariff.” In reply to this Senator Aldrich, the special agent of the “protected” interests, said: ' “The senator i?om Indiana talks about increased duties under the maximum and minimum provision of this bill. I venture to say there is not a man listening to me who does not know’ that these increased duties of 25 per cent will never be imposed except in cases where the president is satisfied that foreign nations are discriminatlng unjustifiably ■against American products. This maximum provision is not intended for the purpose of increasing protective duties.” This is precisely the same kind of talk that was heard in explanation of the exorbitant rates of the Dingley bill. It was then said that the duties w r ere made high, not for the purpose of increasing the “protection,” but for the purpose of being scaled down in reciprocation of lower duties given 'us by foreign countries. This false pretense was carried out to the extent that reciprocity treaties were negotiated, but the senate, under the lead of this same Aldrich and Ms co-conspirators, refused to ratify the treaties. It may as well be understood now that the tariff bill soon to be passed will be the greatest legislative outrage in a generation—and this is saying much.